Netherlands
Netherlands, alternatively United Provinces or Frisia Keizerlijke Koninkrijk van de Zeven Verenigde Provinciën (Dutch, Imperial Kingdom of the Seven United Provinces) (How could they possibly be just seven? Your country includes much more than the historical provinces.) The Netherlands is a major power on the shores of the North Sea, and the premier maritime and mercantile power in the late 16th and 17th century. * Population: Estimated between 4 and 6 million in 1600. * Territorial extent in Europe: The Seven States of the Netherlands, plus Flanders, Wallonia and Luxembourg * Capital: Leeuwarden, Frisia * Largest cities: Amsterdam, Brugge, Antwerpen * Dynasty: Karling (but Republican) * Official religion: Episcopalian Christianity * Official court languages: Dutch, Latin, Occitan, possibly English (Frisian???) * Primary languages: Dutch, Frisian, German, Frankish * Ethnic groups: Dutch, Frisian, Norman, German, Frankish * Founding: The Karling Kingdom of Frisia was founded when the Holy Roman Emperor (name/date) installed his brother on the throne of the Duchy in (year). The Kingdom of Frisia was reconstituted as the United Provinces in (1535). * History: (very early edition haven't made these before sorry (TheDarkendstar) Founding Of the Netherlands The Netherlands is a Successor state of the Kingdom Of Frisia after defeat of Frisian and English armies at the battle of Hamburg resulting in the kingdom being practically cut in half. The Frisian nobility been seen as responsible for the defeat were ousted by the Burghers however due to the heroic actions of the English at the battle and the Francian intervention a year later. Early History The young nation would for the next few decades would recover what was lost the disaster of Holstein until finally reestablishing itself it would then go on to colonize land in the Bastianicas and South Africa due to the highly mercantile nations on the coasts the nation would become one of the richest nations on the continent despite its rather small size. The Fall of Francia Following the Burgiundian war, the Kingdom of Francia was humiliated in the face of it's subjects and fellow Karlings. With the loss of legitimacy and death of the Emperor, the title of Emperor passed to the king of Swealand. Following this catastrophic failure by Francia, the Karling monarchs in western Europe negotiated a partitioning agreement of Francia with the victorious Empire of Aquitania resulting the Duchies of Champagne and Brittany respectively becoming independent states under the rule of distant cousins of the Francian Karling branch, while the Léger Valley, the remaining parts of the Kingdom of Borgonha and the county of Nantas were ceded to Aquitania, while, eastern Flanders and Wallonia were ceded to the Dutch, and the duchy of Normandy, the title of king of Francia and the duchy of Valés and parts of the duchies of Maine and northern Orleans were ceded to the High King of Albion, thus leaving the Duke of Francia, now claimant of the kingdom of Francia and successor of the humiliated (name of Frankish Emperor that lost the Burgundian war) with little more than a small rump state in the duchy of Upper Lorraine and Champagne. The acquisition of the rich provinces of Eastern Flanders and Wallonia resulted in a new age of dutch wealth and expansion overseas (Hadn't it already started long before that? Why did this make such a difference?).